When Atomos released the Ninja V monitor/recorder, they also released a new expansion interface, called AtomX. With that universal port Atomos wants to expand the Ninjas feature set over time. First they announced a Sync module and a NDI module but, and this may come as a pleasant surprise, the first module you can actually purchase is this: An AtomX SDI module.
Atomos Ninja V with AtomX SDI module.
With this AtomX SDI module attached to the popular, yet HDMI 2.0 only, Ninja V monitor/recorder, you get pro level I/O for your precious Ninja. The two standard 75 Ohm BNC connectors are called A and B, not In and Out. And here’s why: You can configure them freely to fit your desired setup! Dual link SDI in? No problem. Two independent SDI inputs for easy A/B switching? Of course. One input and a loop output? Certainly.
Specifications and Video Formats
The AtomX SDI module supports the following video standards: up to 4K60p or up to 2K240p. The two independent 12G/6G/3G SDI inputs/outputs are very flexible but as a word of warning, here is one feature they can’t do (yet?): The Ninja V won’t cross-convert an incoming video stream over HDMI and output it via SDI. Turning it around, an SDI input can’t be routed to a HDMI output. It’s really a question of either SDI or HDMI. However, it is possible to output a (already recorded) video file over SDI and HDMI simultaneously.
Recording from cameras over single or dual link SDI uses your choice of standard Apple ProRes and Avid DNx file formats. Log, HLG and Rec.709 gammas are supported. There is also the option to ‘burn in’ a LUT to the recorded image for quick turnaround productions where there is little or no time for post processing.
Since the question will certainly arise, here is the quick answer: No, ProRes RAW is not (yet?) supported over SDI. The only cameras which currently do ProRes RAW (over HDMI) in conjunction with the Atomos Ninja V is the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7.
The AtomX SDI module is about the size of an NP style battery and fits snugly between the Ninja V and the actual NP battery. It will be available in May 2019 for $US199 / €199 plus taxes.
Other AtomX Modules
The other two already announced AtomX modules, Sync and NDI, are on their way, too but according to Atomos CEO Jeromy Young the SDI became a priority:
When we announced Sync and NDI, user feedback pushed us to make AtomX SDI a priority. So we’ve delivered it first, with NDI and Sync to follow shortly.
Read here for our coverage of the Sync and NDI modules.
Link: Atomos Website
What do you think? Is an SDI fueled Ninja V what you’ve waited for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Zacuto has announced the Kameleon, a new Micro EVF featuring higher pixel density, Lemo power input as well as supporting both HDMI and SDI. (This product was previously sold as JTZ Kameleon X01K)
EDIT: Zacuto contacted us and gave us the following additional information: The top says it was previously sold as JTZ. That isn’t accurate- it’s not the same product because the Kameleon is redesigned quite a bit and improved over the test preproduction run that was known as the X01K. We made lots of software changes, optic improvements, Zacuto’s anti-fog, eyecup and much more.
Zacuto has been in the Electronic View Finder (EVF) game for some years now. Previous to this announcement they had three in their line – The Gratical HD, Gratical X and Gratical Eye.
The new Kameleon breaks naming convention, sharing features from both the Gratical Eye and Gratical HD.
The Kameleon 1920X1080p display is the highest pixel count yet from Zacuto. With a screen resolution of 3103 PPI/ 6.5 million pixels versus 2687/5.4 to all Gratical models.
It still has a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, 60Hz refresh rate and 24-bit RGB color depth.
The suggested retail price of $1950 puts it right inline with the current price of the Gratical Eye, the major featuring difference being the additional HDMI port (that accepts 4K).
The Kameleon is new in ergonomics, closest in size to the Gratical Eye, mostly down to the fact it does not account for a battery solution (Like the Gratical HD/X), a 4-pin Lemo powers the Kameleon with a voltage range of 7-20V.
The inclusion of a HDMI port will likely be the most significant feature – this was removed for the Gratical Eye, but unlike the 4-ports (SDI in/out, HDMI in/out) found on the Gratical HD, the Kameleon features one SDI and one HDMI.
Also added is a USB-C port.
A joystick plus 4 hot-keys on the top controls the Zacuto menu system, hosting multiple features for exposure & focus assistance, as well as anamorphic squeezes, frame line, custom scaling audio meters and 1D & 3S LUT imports.
Other physical features include a diopter ring plus additional drop in diopters, anti-fog lens, auto-closing eyecups and an ARRI rosette on both sides for mounting.
To sum this all up, the Zacuto Kameleon comes with an improved pixel density screen, sitting a little under the Gratical HD by losing the battery solution and extra HDMI and SDI ports, but gains HDMI and USC-C on the Gratical Eye whilst maintaining it’s price point.
What do you think about the Zacuto Kameleon EVF? Are you in the market for a new viewfinder? What do you think of their Gratical products?

SmallHD FOCUS OLED goes SDI in latest model, now with a 1080p display and larger touch screen.
SmallHD FOCUS OLED SDI with full HD display
With many professional production cameras and cinema cameras outputting video signals via SDI rather than HDMI, there was a demand to include the SDI connection into the SmallHD FOCUS monitor. This monitor was originally designed to be mounted on the hot shoe of small DSLR or mirrorless type cameras, all of which output via HDMI. Those requests for a professional connector have been met with the latest FOCUS OLED SDI model, which offers up to 3G-SDI, touch screen interface and bright OLED display. The locking SDI connection is far more robust and secure than the HDMI connector.
Expanded Display and Increased Resolution
The SmallHD FOCUS OLED SDI also sees an increased display resolution to Full HD (1920×1080), where the non-OLED models display in 1280×720. The monitor also features a slightly larger, 5.5 inch screen, and all of the existing FOCUS OLED features are included in the new SDI model.
Despite offering the 7.2V power output, generally cameras that output video via SDI consume more power than what the monitor can output. This reflects the monitors original design to be used with DSLR or mirrorless type cameras that can be powered via a dummy battery. We’ve reached out to SmallHD to find out why this feature was included in this model as this isn’t enough juice to power the larger cameras which typically feature SDI ports. (However, I guess, using the right cables it could be used to power accessories like lens motors.)
Here is a brief rundown of the SmallHD FOCUS OLED SDI specifications:
1920×1080 display resolution
5.5 inch screen size (diagonal)
350 nits brightness
60000:1 contrast ratio
105% NTSC colour gamut
Supports signals up to 3G-SDI (YCC 4:2:2 at 10-bits)
The SDI model will be slightly more expensive than the HDMI version, and will be shipping soon. Pre-orders are available via the product links below.
Are you using a camera with SDI output and need a monitor like the SmallHD FOCUS OLED SDI for your setup? Does the reliability of SDI persuade you to invest more into this model? Let us know in the comments.

The CAME-TV Terapin Rig is a handy shoulder rig & breakout box for Panasonic & Sony mirrorless cameras, providing SDI conversion, XLR audio, DC out power as well as a Sony NP battery plate.
Mirrorless cameras pack quite a video-punch nowadays. Their compact nature can be hugely useful for many sorts of filmmakers, but there’s often a case where mod cons of large camcorders are required.
CAME-TV has announced a product that looks to solve some of those mirrorless, mod-cons deficiencies.
The CAME-TV Terapin Rig is a both a shoulder rig and breakout box; it bulks out your mirrorless camera physically, providing a heavier, more balanced weight on the shoulder.
The shoulder rig is based on standard 15mm rails with an external monitor arm, shoulder pad, plus an optional mattebox & follow focus.
The most intriguing aspect of the Terapin Rig however is the breakout box.
Plumbing into your mirrorless camera with a selection of short cables (as well as a dumb battery), the Terapin box converts HMDI to SDI, 3.5mm audio to XLR with 48v phantom power, provides two DC outputs and also a Sony NP battery plate on the rear.
Audio monitoring can also be controlled through the Terapin rig, and what’s handy is the large, physical pot to adjust headphone volume quickly.
There’s adjusting with the baseplate and shoulder pad to refine balance; the rosette handle also has start/stop triggering. Plus, check out that cool indent for your flipped out monitor?
There are two versions, the CAME-TV Terapin Rig for Panasonic GH4 and GH5. And a Sony version for the Sony A7SII, A7RII and A72.
Within each model there’s a base spec – shoulder rig, breakout box, monitor arm, handle, then an advanced version that adds the aforementioned mattebox and follow focus.
It will be interesting to see how the CAME-TV Terapin Rig performs. Converting video signals and powering audio is never a straight-forward thing; usually something that would exceed the entry-level price tag (especially considering the added rigging bits).
Will update this article with prices and purchase links, but the base spec is looking to be sub $560, and the advanced sub $1200.
Do you think that such a rig is useful and can you see yourself using one of those? Share with us your opinion in the comment section below.

If you’re already knee-deep into the Teradek ecosystem of wireless video devices, this is good news for you! Here at NAB 2018 we’ve caught up with Teradek’s Michael Galling and he runs us through all the features of the new Bolt XT and LT lines.
The Bolt XT and Bolt LT are two completely new lines within the Bolt ecosystem of wireless video transmitters and receivers. However, the good news here is that both lines are compatible with all existing Bolt 3000, Bolt 1000 and Bolt 500 systems.
Teradek Bolt XT & LT
These two new lines of wireless transmitters and receivers actually have a lot in common, you could think of them as siblings. In this metaphor the Bolt LT would be the younger brother/sister whereas the Bolt XT would be the big girl/boy. Both share the exact same video transmitting performance but when it comes to features, the Bolt XT sports the full package while the Bolt LT focuses on just the essential functions. But because of that it’s more affordable, of course.
The Bolt LT starts at around $1.500 which gets you both, the transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter offers video loop-through but tt’s HDMI only. For $500 more you’ll get the same version but with SDI ports for video input (plus loop-through) and output.
The Bolt XT, however, gets you more features as well as more SDI/HDMI inputs outputs depending on the chosen model. It offers the same wirelsess transmission performance as the LT line, it’s really about flexibility in terms of video ports and more software features. The Bolt XT offers a 3D LUT engine, a manual frequency selection tool and a built-in 5Ghz spectrum analyzer. This will help a lot if you’re working on busy sets with a lot of interferences around or if you deploy multiple Teradek Bolts at the same time. Now it’ very easy to find the perfect frequency for each device so that nothing interferes with each other.
The neat thing is that the unit outputs a visual feedback to a connected monitor. So you know exactly which channel is open and which is occupoied by another device. Furthermore, the Bolt XT line has dual video inputs (HDMI and SDI) on the transmitters plus SDI loop-through. On the receiving side the XT line offers dual SDI outputs plus HDMI out. The receivers have NATO rail mounting built-in and they now come with a 3/8″ mounting port for even more ruggedness. The transmitters got a 3/8″ ARRI pinlock mount.
Both lines, the XT and the LT share one more cool feature: Pass-through power with integrated plates! Now you can mount the battery that fits your workflow best directly on to the back of the unit, no Lemo cables needed since the plates are wired directly to the Bolt LT or XT. Choose betwwen V-mount, Gold-mount, Sony-L or Canon LP-E6 battery plates. Neat!
What’s Next?
Michael sneak peaks a little into the future of wireless video solutions by Teradek and the obvious next step, besides of extended range, is 4K. Since this is 4 times the size of HD, wireless (and zero-delay) video transmission of 4K video is still a quite tricky thing to do. We’ll probably see this technology in a kind of bridge technology scenario first in which big 4K client monitors will be equipped with stationary 4K video receivers. Further down the line the technology will obviously evolve (and shrink in size) so we’ll see portable 4K transmitters and receivers.
Pricing and Availabilty
The Bolt LT series is priced as follows: Bolt 500 LT (HDMI) $1,490 / Bolt 500 LT (SDI) $1,990 / Bolt 1000 LT (SDI) $3,990.
The Bolt XT line is more expensive, obviously, but also more feature-packed. Pricing is: Bolt 500 XT $2,490 / Bolt 1000 XT $4,990 / Bolt 3000 XT $9,990.
Head over to Teradek.com for full specifications.
Links: Teradek.com
Do you use Teradek wireless video devices? What do you think of these new lines of Bolt transmitters and receivers? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

IBC 2017 has seen the announcement of an upcoming Canon modular camera for uses ranging from action cam to professional broadcast.
In a very un-Canon manner, Canon has presented a concept for an upcoming mini modular camera called Canon MM100-WS, and will be taking feedback from the industry to implement along the development of the product.
According to Marcel Hess, this new Canon modular camera will only be a couple of centimetres thick and will incorporate a non-removable wide-angle lens that will allow it to be dust and splash proof. The battery will only be 1cm thick, allowing the whole package to remain quite compact, recording internally to MicroSD cards.
What’s interesting about this Canon modular camera is that its functionality will be expandable with additional parts, such as an additional SDI output module or a larger battery. This would make the camera capable of fulfilling many roles, from a body cam to a studio and broadcast-capable tool.
This type of crossover action camera is proving to be quite a popular concept – the recent announcement of the Sony RX0, for example, has stirred quite a lot of interest in the industry. Check out our hands-on with the RX0 at IBC 2017 HERE.
What’s very interesting about this announcement is Canon’s sudden change of mentality in opening up about upcoming products and actually requesting market feedback. We can only hope that this much-requested change of manufacturer-customer dynamics will translate into future big cameras.
Could you see a use in your professional work for a miniature SDI-capable device like this Canon modular camera? Let us know in the comments.

Marshall Electronics has just unveiled their latest LCD on-camera monitor, the 7″ V-LCD70W-SH. Originally planned for IBC 2016, it’s now finally available, so let’s have a quick look.
Marshall 7″ V-LCD70W-SH LCD monitor
There’s a wide range of decent on-camera monitors to choose from, and now there’s one more candidate: the new Marshall V-LCD70W-SH. It’s a 7″ HDMI and SDI LCD monitor with pretty much every feature you would expect in this class of monitors.
It features a detachable sun hood that’s also foldable, which can be quite useful for stowing away when not needed. Those tiny brackets look like they may be a little fragile, though…
Folded and extended sun hood.
When the sun hood is attached, all buttons remain accessible as they are located on the outside, which is nice. Three user-customizable buttons for common functions such as focus peaking can be found on the left-hand side of the monitor. The other buttons are for input, menu access and on/off.
In terms of connectivity, you can use both the HDMI and SDI signals as an input. There’s a cross converter built right into the V-LCD70W-SH, so you’re able to loop through whatever signal is needed to a client monitor, for example. As an addition, this 7″ LCD sports a built-in tally light with two colors to choose from: red or green.
The panel itself has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and features an adjustable LED backlight.
The V-LCD70W-SH measures 4.9″ x 7.7″ x 1.11″ (12,45 x 19,56 x 2,82 cm) and weights 1.20 lbs (544g) without batteries, making this Marshall LCD quite a decent unit for DSLR work, for example. While the popular SmallHD 702 is a bit smaller in size and also lighter, it will dig a much deeper hole in your wallet.
Features
The layout of the buttons seems to be well thought out – everything you need is right there. There is also a headphone jack if you need to monitor audio. All the scopes and focus aids you can possibly think of are on board, too: false color, peaking, waveform, vectorscope, audio meters, histogram, you name it.
On the rear side, the V-LCD70W-SH features a VESA mount, so you can (and should) bring your own battery solution. From V-mount to LP-E6, everything should be possible. As an alternative, you could just use a standard D-Tap to 12V DC powering cable.
Each of the four sides features standard 1/4″-20 mounting holes for attaching the monitor to your rig.
I couldn’t find out if it’s possible to import LUTs, but I’ll update this article once I’ve found out. The other thing I still need to ascertain is if it is possible to switch between different modes of false color overlays. I find it a bit annoying to always have to learn different color schemes for all the different brands.
Conclusion
This Marshall 7″ LCD monitor could be another alternative worth considering if you’re in need of a new on-camera monitor. It seems to be well-made, the layout of the buttons does make a lot of sense and Marshall are well-known for making decent products. Also, the price point vs. features ratio seems to be pretty solid.
links: full spec sheet | Marshall Electronics homepage
Are you in the market for a new monitor? Might this one be a option for you, or do other makes and models seem more attractive at this point ? Let us know in the comments below!

The new MiniM & TEO from Cinemartin combine a state-of-the-art monitoring display, a cinema quality recorder, live streaming capabilities and an accomplished onboard computer into a portable—and relatively affordable—device.
Through exciting new releases, recent firmware updates, and price drops, Atomos and Convergent Design have established themselves as the dominant players in the external recorder/monitor market. However, Spanish manufacturer Cinemartin just announced products that, for a reasonable jump in price, could bring you a whole bunch of extra features in a similar form factor.
Note: these are prototype photos only
A First look at the New Products from Cinemartin
The MiniM and TEO lay claim to being the world’s first UHD and QHD 5.6” HDMI monitors, respectively. For more demanding users, the TEO’s big brother, the NEXT, features 6G-SDI ins and outs.
The OLED displays on the devices offer an angle of view of over 170 degrees at 550 NIT which, although barely a third of the 1500 NIT from the recently announced Atomos Flame range, it is still 150 NIT more than the original Atomos Shogun. The displays also support LUTs and feature assist tools, such as vectorscope and waveform.
Regarding storage, the models do things a little differently than the competition—thanks to internal 250GB and 500GB SSDs for the base models, configurable with up to 2TB. Supported recording formats include H.264, HEVC H.265, ProRes in 8-Bit or 10-Bit, at 4:2:0 and 4:2:2, or 4:4:4 in 4K. They can also record AVI uncompressed in 4:4:4 10-Bit 4K in DPX at around 1.2GB/s. Cinemartin claims read/write speeds of up to around 5.6GB/s, due to the combination of the SSD with the internal RAM buffer.
Which brings us to the next point, the one that sets the MiniM and TEO apart from the rest. These “monitors” can function as true, portable computers, sporting the latest Skylake processors from Intel, and 16GB of RAM, expandable to 32GB. Four USB 3.0 ports allow you to circumvent the issue of internal storage by backing up externally, but you can also plug in a keyboard and edit the footage directly in your NLE of choice because—oh, that’s right!—the devices run Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit. Apple’s OS X is also supported “via tonymacx86 guides” which, for the uninitiated, translates as going down the Hackintosh route.
The MiniM and TEO also provide Live Broadcast functionality via WiFi, or through a mobile network via a USB SIM adapter.
The battery plates (sold separately) can adapt Canon or Sony batteries, claiming a battery life of around 3 hours. DC power and external power supplies like DTAP are also supported.
At 14x10x5cm, the units are a bit larger than the average monitor/recorder form factor. They do, however, offer the flexibility of a PC, with a configurable display, storage, RAM and processor, all for a starting price of under $2,000.
A solution like this could be ideal to expand the usability of even the most modest of cameras, with an array of features for shooters of all pedigrees, ranging from narrative filmmaking to news broadcast.
Preordering for the TEO QHD is available from Cinemartin with an estimated shipping date in June 2016, while the UHD version is up for funding on Indiegogo with shipping taking place later in the year.
Would a device like this find a place in your workflow? Post your comments below!